When We Were Young
by Sakyh
Summary: Looking back on the days with Martel as a child, he can't help but feel as if she has left him behind. All that once was has passed him by as time leaves him in the ashes of the past. [Yuartel][OneShot]


_**When We Were Young  
**By Tenshi no Hoshi_

**A/N: Wow I finally finished this one! I could have finished it a while ago, but with school and all, things have been...hectic? Well, this one goes to my cousin James, who I've had so many memories with. Now that we're teenagers, things have been different. We can't go back to those times, but we still remember all of those good times. Enjoy this one!**

**Based on the song Wo Men Xiao Shi Hou (When We Were Young) by TANK.**

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_Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose._

_I want to live with all of my memories, even if they're sad memories. I believe that if I stay strong, someday I'll overcome the pain, and then I'll be glad that I have those memories. I believe that there are no memories that are okay to forget.

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The sky above has the ability to reflect change over the years. The meaurement of life in which we call "time" has passed me by without a glance. Where has my time gone? I am no longer possesed by such a haunting spirit. The sand slipping away at those who are in it's clutches slowly disappear as if it has become a memory to hazy to been seen through the foggy distance. You'd think that I am God's favorite child if I was granted eternal life.

That blessing bestowed upon me 4000 years ago is nothing but curse; a shackle which binds me to this land. It prevents me from being reunited with the loved ones who have left me behind.

There must have something I've done in my lifetime to have deserved such punishment. To be granted eternal life in a world where no one excepts you is far worse then being short-lived with someone you love.

All I have left are the memories we made together. Even though He took you away, He instead enthrusted me with everlasting gems that will never lose its brilliance. Even after the world comes to end, they'll always keep on shining within my lonely heart.

Do still remember when we were still young? Do you still remember all the promises we made to each other? Do you still remember loving me?

_I used to hold you hands like this when we were young  
I was just hoping to wait by your side  
to protect you from cutting your own fingers  
these little wounds cause you tears and heartache_

Our innocence back in those days were admirable.I still yearn to watch over you as we did when we were young. We were nothing more than good friends who were too stubborn to admit anything of the sort. The blurry memory of lost time keeps me searching for the missing links which will piece together the past I've been waiting so long to see again. All I have now are pieces of dying ember with little hope left in them.

It's been over four millenia since we first met. Four millenia since we first laid eyes upon each other. Four millenia since we were fell in love. If you were still here, would you still remember me? If you were still here, would you still love me?  
_  
We have grown further apart as we grow up  
being separated in two different sides of the world  
When can we meet again?  
Your familiar smiling face_

I've always wished on night stars that a chance for us would spawn from the blossoming hope of my heart wrenching memories. I've prayed for a chance to live in this new world of acceptance together. I've hoped for a chance that will never be given to me, but I must keep trying for my love.

Some of those wishes never come true like how some of those prayers are never answered. What do we do when the little light of glinting hope extinguishes in our hearts?

The rain falls hard, but at the end of the storm, all the colors of broken glass petals reveal its true nature, leaving behind traces of our nostalgic past together.

Please, stop crying. I don't want to wash away all of our precious memories together. Those fragments of time are what keep me alive.

"Can you hear it, Martel?" I asked the sky above as it let out cold tears that fell like ice drops. "The sound of shattering glass."

_It reminds me of when we were still young  
I can feel it when I close my eyes,  
the softness that slowly flows in our hearts  
Drifting apart from those memories when we were young  
You wouldn't be thinking of me now

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_Their world seemed to faintly glow with the magic of the twinkling stars up above, the gentle wind brushing by them, and the floating fireflies hovering as they encircled the two children. The serene moonlight flowed across the endless plains as both young half-elves strolled by as if tomorrow never existed. To them, even time had lost its place._

_The little girl twirled around with her outstretched arms hanging in the fresh night air. She danced around as if the gentle wind could somehow lift her up into the heavens. Her world was her backyard, and that's what he loved about her._

"_Come over here! You're too slow," Martel called out as she grabbed Yuan's hand, dragging him towards the center of the empty field. He reluctantly followed her as they both left behind fresh footprints in the grass. _

_The little girl cupped her hands around a tiny glowing light as it flickered on and off. "See this?" She whispered, trying not to disturb the fragile wild life surrounding them. "It's a firefly. They say if you can catch one in your hands, the angels will grant you a wish." _

_Yuan gave her a skeptical look. "What? Why would you waste your time?" _

_Martel plopped down on the soft grass and gazed at the twinkling stars, still tightly gripping Yuan's tender hand. "There are some things that can't be achieved in this world by working alone." She slowly opened up her hand, releasing the tiny firefly as it sailed through the wind. "That's why we make wishes."_

"_What would you wish for?" He asked._

_Martel smiled up at him as he placed himself next to her. "I wish for," she began, "a world without discrimination. I want to live in a place where we could be accepted for who we are, and not our ancestors." Her gentle smile faded away as her eyes lost its happiness. The twinkling hope in her eyes had started to diminish since she the day she was born. "But…can we truly wish for it all to end?"_

_Yuan took their linked hands and raised it toward the sky, tightening his grip. "If you really want discrimination to end, you would do something to help change the world."_

_A disturbing rumbling noise cracked though the clear sky. Threatening black clouds shrouded the moon like a shadow as the heavy rainfall poured suddenly on the two children, leaving them soaked. The once glowing field of fireflies soon became empty as they fled for shelter._

_Both Yuan and Martel smiled at each other, bursting out into laughter. Nothing could have kept them from thinking that rain could spoil their time together. They were precious to each other. Time was precious to them. Their time with each other meant even more. It was only a matter of how that time was spent._

_Martel wiped the moist raindrops of her cheeks and let out a heavy sigh. "C'mon, let's go back. We don't wanna catch anything out here."_

"_It'd really be nice just to stay out here, though. Don't you think?" _

_She nodded her head slightly, saying, "Let's just go. Everyone else is worried, I bet." _

_Yuan dropped her hand as she caught it once again. "Don't let go of me," she solemnly told him. "Even when we grow older, promise me you'll be there for me. I…I thought about what you said earlier. I wanna do something about discrimination against our race. Will you…come with me?"_

_Both of them stood motionless in the rain although they were unsure why. Perhaps it was because through their hopeful demeanor, they knew that it might be almost impossible to reach that goal. _

_Yuan started walking forwards, dragging Martel along behind him. She hesitated to speak, but he interrupted. "I'll never let go. Even if the sky does not permit it, I'll stay by your side. As long as our hands are linked, it's a promise."_

"_It's a promise."

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Our childhood promises are no longer in tact. Could it be because I can't feel your presence anymore? Your body and soul aren't in touch, but I can still feel your presence in my memories. The gathering rain can help me regain those memories. The promises we made… are they still not yet broken? I plan to guard them with my life with the infinite time I have left in this new world we worked so hard to strive for. With the blink of an eye, I can see it all again; the memories of when we still young.

_Thinking back of when were young  
I can feel it once I close my eyes_

I believe that the life you live now is better than the one you wish to have lived. Forget about me. The curse of time has its limits, too. I don't want you to be trapped in its prison. I don't want you to end up like me. Save yourself.

You still know how it feels to be rejected, right? Being rejected by heaven, hell, and now the world in between. Heaven's gates won't open up for me as I continue to fly with broken wings for a place we both dreamed of. You've showed me how it feels to be the last one standing, and it's not something I want to continue to remember.

Death can relieve my pain, like a remedy for a wound. Isn't it how it's solved? If I had the chance, I could end this everlasting pain right here, right now.

But you thought of death differently. Deaths forced by our own will was something you were against. Can you still remember your words? The day you were carried to a world away from me.

_Drifting apart from those memories when we were young  
You wouldn't be thinking of me now  
At this moment, forgetting me  
After that time, we didn't see each other any more  
I can only say goodbye

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_The sky above showed no end in its gloomy state as icy rain fell to the ground, hindering tears of grief on the faces of those remaining. The lingering feelings of crimson hatred stained the battlefield surrounding the four seraphim._

_The four seraphim would be no more, now that only three were left. Glittering tears were shed by all, but none more so then her love._

_Yuan was left in shock as he absentmindedly ran his bloody cut fingers over her face as its color was slowly drained. "Martel, don't leave me here! If you go, I have to follow. Remember?" He held up her hand in his own. "Your lifelong dream, Martel. Don't forget it. You have to fulfill it!"_

_Martel gathered her last bit of strength and flickered her eyelids open as her last words spilled from her mouth. "Yuan…" She started to say weakly, "carry out my dream for me. A place where those like us who are caught in between will be accepted. Live that dream, Yuan…"

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So, here I am, living this dream of yours. Your dream is still a nightmare in my eyes. This world, no matter how friendly or disgraceful, will still be a lonely place to live in. Without your voice echoing throughout the vast plains and grand oceans, I might as well give up this life.

My mission is complete, yet I can't leave this place behind. I can't flee from this lonely world. But it's okay. I'm okay. I'll be fine here as long you continue to watch over me. Because in the end…

_… Its ok for me to have nothing left in my hands._


End file.
